Kapenya catches them young

Former Warriors and Highlanders defender Dazzy Kapenya

Kapenya is now the head coach of Emakhandeni-based First Mobile Sports Umguza Academy (FMSA) which has 64 players of the Under 12, Under-14,Under-16 and Under-18 age groups.

“I have devoted my life to developing young talent for a better tomorrow and that is not something I will ever decide to forego,” he said. “Our academy is a sister academy with FMSA Canada, which is under the tutelage of Zimbabwean coach and director, Isaac Mbedzi. Our branch was opened at the beginning of this year and we cater for young people of the 10-18 years category, whose talent we identify, nurture and develop. We will use the partnership we have to market our stars abroad.

“We want to help these young players reach greater heights. I am pleased that next year we will also have a team in the Third Division, something that will help our players play at a more competitive level.” The 2002 Zimbabwean Soccer Star of the Year admitted that it was a herculean task for him to achieve his goals, but with community co-operation he was determined to reap the positive results.

“This will not be an overnight process, but I believe that eight years from now we will be talking a different story and the country will be the biggest beneficiary. I am very happy that the community is co-operating and supportive towards this project.  The response to this project is overwhelming as parents appreciate what we are doing.

“It’s always not easy to start a project like this one considering that we are affiliated to the junior league Series A, which has more seasoned teams like Bantu Rovers and Highlanders, who most talented players will always consider over us, but I am happy we are holding our own thus far,” added the CAF Level C coaching certificate holder.

“We identify players through programmes we hold in schools. We do not wait for players to come to us like other clubs. We use school pilot programmes to identify talent. We value and appreciate the support we getting from various schools around Bulawayo,” he said.